It’ sad because it show how desperately people want to believe that a seemingly normal man can commit such heinous crimes. And it’s sad because it shows how little many church-goers have learned about child sex abuse in the 30 years since the first US pedophile priest attracted national headlines.

It’s tiresome because the same pattern emerges in case after case after case. Parishioners are “shocked.” Because the priest is good at this or that – homilies, service work, one-on-one counseling or boosting church membership – parishioners somehow can’t imagine that he can simultaneously be sick at some deep emotional level. Because congregants and church-goers desperately grasp for some “other explanation” (like the Episcopal minister who thinks Fr. Cassidy has been thrown “under the bus” because of some theological or liturgical dispute).

And it’s hurtful because public support for credibly accused abusers intimidates and depresses victims, witnesses and whistleblowers. It makes people less willing to report known and suspected child sex crimes. So it makes kids more vulnerable.

The bishop and parishioners are essentially playing 'good cop, bad cop.' The bishop suspended Fr. Cassidy. Yet at the same time, he lets parishioners publicly rally and back a credibly accused abuser.

Jenky can't have his cake and eat it too. He can't claim to be concerned about clergy sex abuse victims, yet allow an alleged predator’s backers frighten those same victims.

If Jenky cares about child molestation victims, he'll show some spine and teach his flock how to more appropriately, and quietly, support an accused child molesting cleric so that others who were molested won’t be further hurt and silenced.

Kids are safe in institutions that invite and welcome reports of suspected abuse, not in institutions that instantly rally around accused criminals. These well-meaning Catholics are inadvertently making their church a more dangerous place by their public support of an alleged child molesting cleric, and their bishop sits back letting this happen.

If someone wants to support Fr. Cassidy, the Christian way to do it is quietly and privately, so that others with information about his alleged crimes won't be scared into staying quiet.

(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. SNAP was founded in 1988 and has more than 20,000 members. Despite the word “priest” in our title, we have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, including nuns, rabbis, bishops, and Protestant ministers. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)

PEORIA — In spite of the Catholic church’s decades-long entanglements in sex abuse scandals, parishioners of St. Ann Church were still jolted by news that their pastor, the Rev. Terry Cassidy, was the subject of allegations of sexual misconduct with a minor.

“It’s shocking. People are just bewildered and confused. It’s just not a good thing,” said John Carlson, a member of St. Ann, where Cassidy has served as pastor since 1999.

Barbara Blaine, founder of SNAP, passed away on Sunday, September 24th, 2017. Her dying was sudden and completely unexpected. Words cannot express our sorrow nor are there words to express our gratitude for her relentless advocacy. She truly was a hero. There is an old saying, “well behaved women seldom make history”. Barbara made history and the world is a better place.

Join SNAP Today

50 State AG Call for Grand Jury

Write a letter to the attorney general of your state. Demand, request, and beg them to impanel a grand jury.

Any investigation must be:

independent of and separate from the church

must have subpoena powers and ability to compel testimony under oath

Anything short of these criteria is a sham and whitewash.

In addition, write letters to the editor, make phone calls to politicians as they can apply pressure to keep them responsive to our demand. We need to make efforts to ensure that they follow up on what the state is doing to investigate these crimes.

The Attorneys General of forty states have inquired about the grand jury process in Pennsylvania. Let's get statewide investigations going in fifty states.

Note to Letter Writers

Use your own words and style of writing. Cut and paste from the templates as you wish. Include your experiences, whether as a survivor or as a member of the community. And relate your letter to the state you were abused in or state now living in.